It was announced yesterday that Lionsgate and Haim Saban were rebooting the Power Rangers franchise with a live action movie. However, although this is a series that is near and dear to my heart, I am actually dreading the idea.
After working in Toys R’ Us for a year and channel flipping during slow summer mornings I have realized that the Power Rangers franchise is still rocking and rolling, which make me extremely happy. The series started in 1993 and the fact that it is still relevant for kids to day is outstanding, so my question is why do we need a reboot movie?
I know it’s probably a money decision that is capitalizing on our generation’s love of nostalgia and the potential in tapping an entirely new market of kids, but I think that the film is going to taint the reputation of the series even if Haim Saban (the head of the production company that produced the series) is involved. Here is his statement:
“Lionsgate is the perfect home for elevating our Power Rangers brand to the next level. They have the vision, marketing prowess and incredible track record in launching breakthrough hits from ‘The Hunger Games’ to ‘Twilight’ and ‘Divergent.’ In partnership with the Lionsgate team, we’re confident that we will capture the world of the Power Rangers and translate it into a unique and memorable motion picture phenomenon with a legacy all its own.”
Part of the charm of the series was its over-the-top campiness and its ridiculous obviously low budget production. It’s what made me love the series as a kid. Watching six adults being shot at by some ridiculous monster that actually hits behind them, but somehow affects them like they were shot in the chest was one of my favorite things to do.
The heavily choreographed fighting sequences, the poses, even the little cut scenes when the rangers morphed were all engrained in my memory, but I can’t help but think that that’s going to all go away with a movie.
While Lionsgate has done well with The Hunger Games and Divergent I can’t see them putting out a purposefully campy, low production value film. That’s why I’m tepid toward the reboot. Saban only cares about money and I don’t think Lionsgate is going to understand that I don’t need a new series, I will always have the old one.
I understand that kids of this generation are probably going to love it and that’s fine, but I just wish they could experience the magic that I felt when I first watched Power Rangers. #blessed
Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.